


Hometown Burned

by Ethras



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: ((I MEAN IT!!)), College AU, Just Friends, Not Shippy, tw//war
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 14:10:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12082674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ethras/pseuds/Ethras
Summary: When the world came crashing down on Adonis with news he had hoped would never come, how was he supposed to continue college life as the calm rock he'd always been? Things will crack, and break. And hope is all that's there.





	Hometown Burned

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, guys! Since I've kept you all waiting with my AdoRei fic line (which I'm finally working on again; really excited about it!!), here's a mostly-angsty, sorta-sweet fic I wrote in August the night after I was assigned Tsukasa to be Adonis' roommate in the closed college au rp group I'm in (Twilight Town University; check em out!). These two clicked immediately, and I'm really stoked to be RPing with them! I really love the concept of these two as friends. There is at least a second chapter planned for this, which I have muse to write for, so definitely expect it. As for those waiting for AdoRei, I hope to get back to it very soon. Anyway, enjoy~! 
> 
> Secondary Note: The quotation marks « » imply the use of a language that isn't English. As TTU is an American based college au group, Adonis is trilingual here (knowing Arabic and Japanese) and Tsukasa is bilingual.

He felt like he was dreaming, suddenly going lightheaded. Why was he holding his phone? Why did it say what it did? He had only gone to check why it had rumbled. This didn’t make sense.

Bombed. His hometown, the neighborhood he had lived in, bombed? It couldn’t be. That... That was out of the question. His youngest sister... She would never lie to him about something like this... Then, _why?_ This had to be some kind of joke... But it was his sister...

As the shock seeped into him, the weight of the news grew heavier as time passed. Where had his neighbours been? What time had it happened? _Was his father okay?_

Class ended. He stayed there as the others poured out, too stunned to move. Somehow, the teacher materialised in front of him. 

“Adonis, is something wrong?” He heard him say. 

He was still stuck, only to finally swallow. Adonis slowly began to move and gather his things. “No... Sorry, I’m... Not feeling well,” he lied. Putting his pencils and notebook in his bag, a tsking noise came from nearby. 

“ _I_ would say that’s something wrong. Do you have another class after this?” The other asked now.

It took him a second, but he shook his head.

“Then I suggest you take it easy and go get some rest. University life can be _quite_ demanding, and it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself,” the professor told him. He went on about how he was his age once, and some story about his struggle that Adonis hadn’t been able to listen to. He wasn't hearing anything anymore. All he could think about was what home looked like now. 

Adonis was plenty familiar with gunfire breaking out, concrete walls being littered with shell marks, cars being pierced and people being shot from the other end. He’d seen it once before. He’d seen a lot of things he wished he hadn’t.

His family had homeschooled him whenever possible, whenever his sister and him couldn’t stay with their mother in Japan on the times she went on business trips. Their house in his home country had been among the richer areas, a more tranquil place compared to the typical living others experienced. That kept him relatively safe, that was, up until matters had escalated to a conflict so chaotic that they had to fully emigrate to Japan. Yet his father stayed behind. The company needed him.

The war had been getting bad. People were starting fires and blowing themselves up. Shooting each other down, stealing food and possessions. Some women even cast aside their babies, not wishing to subject the life that they were living to their children. It had been going on since he had been young; civil unrest, civil war, government and corporate bickering amongst each other as they struggled to keep everything from completely falling apart. _But it was falling apart._

✧✧✧

Adonis hadn’t even realised he’d walked himself to the dorms, far too gone in his daze. He realized where he was again at the sound of the showers, and the transition was sharp. He felt dizzy. Placing a hand to his head, he continued down the hall until he found his room, pulled the keys out of his pocket, and closed the door behind him.

His roommate was already there, at his table. It looked like he had just finished studying, as he was cleaning up his things. Seeing Adonis come in, he smiled, picking something out of a bowl on his desk. Tsukasa held his hand out. “Fancy a candy? I just purchased more an hour ago.”

Adonis looked at the plastic covered treat for a second. “No,” he answered. Then, after a moment, he looked away and added, “Thank you.” 

A silence wedged between them. That was not the way that question usually went. He rose an eyebrow. “Well, I am going to go to dinner soon,” Tsukasa went on, speaking as if he was treading carefully. “Would you like to go together?”

“I’m not hungry,” he answered, moving to the bed before laying down on it. His appetite was non existent. Really, Adonis thought he should call feverishly for his father, but all the life in him was sapped cold. He wasn’t sure he could accomplish that much, let alone eat. 

With a concerned look, Tsukasa was quiet a moment before he spoke. “I’ll bring you something back,” he decided himself, moving towards the door. “If you’re still not feeling well when I return, I’ll accompany you to the infirmary.” 

“I’m alright,” Adonis replied, closing his eyes. “Don’t concern yourself over me. I’m just tired.” 

Tsukasa looked at him dubiously. “I would suggest a nap, then. They are quite recharging.” And with his doubt quite certain, the roommate left for dinner. 

Some time went by as Adonis lied there on his bed, mulling things over. It seemed, ultimately, that he had been right. Nothing he had hoped to do in high school would have ever made a difference back home. It had been pipedreams. With some effort, he sat up and opened his phone to call his sister.

Hearing her voice was helpful in some ways, but in others, all the more distressing. She didn’t know much more than what she’d texted earlier; the information had come from international news, something of an accomplishment by the west’s government in their attempt to destroy what they said were the instigators in their civil war. 

«They need to stop meddling,» she said, just as distraught as he was, «before they hurt someone important.»

«Well, that was what they were aiming for,»” he replied. “«To stop a war they have no business in.» They were both quiet a bit before the sister agreed. 

«And father...?» He finally gathered the courage to ask.

«No word yet. I read that the cell towers were knocked out though, so he probably just can’t get a signal.» The voice sounded hopeful. Adonis wanted to believe it as well. It was too dangerous to flee and contact his family right now, wasn’t it? He hoped that was all it was.

Reminding her that he loved her, he ended the call, well aware of the time in Japan. Early. He wondered briefly if she had even gotten any sleep; she'd texted him in the middle of the night.

As the silence of his room ebbed back, the warmth of his sister’s voice escaped him like a leaking balloon. _Woosh._ Gone.

✧✧✧

The shower he went to take afterward ended up being a tad wasteful in water, but it cleared his mind a little, so he was glad he’d forced himself to do it. He much preferred sensing the details around him to the haze he had experienced after learning in the classroom earlier. While his worries were not gone, this was an improvement.

Heading back to the room, Adonis found Tsukasa waiting for him. He looked worried. “Did you go to the infirmary?” He asked. 

“No,” he answered, “I took a shower though. I feel a bit better.” At least he wasn’t lying this time.

That seemed to satisfy the other somewhat. “That’s good,” he replied. Picking a canvas bag up from the floor, Tsukasa told him, “I brought some food for you. It is better if you eat something familiar when you aren’t feeling well, no?” With that, he offered it to Adonis, which he took, curiously investigating the inside.

What he discovered was... Indian food? He looked up to the other with a great deal of surprise. This was... The closest he was going to get to something from home. The sentiment was not lost upon him. He smiled a little. Some warmth had come back. In a low voice, he said, “Thank you, very much.”

✧✧✧

While Adonis was comforted by the sort-of-but-not-quite-home-like food (which was pretty good despite his lack of appetite) and the small talk he made with his roommate that made everything seem as if all was normal—despite all this, the night proved not to be as forgiving. 

It had taken him ages to fall asleep; not even hearing the breathing of the other had aided in lulling him over. It had taken all his weariness to accomplish it, only to have it ruined by tainted images. All his worst fears were culminating together to give his dread a body. It strangled him silent so he could bid for no help. It was burning his father alive, all whilst crumbling the building around them with bombs as the older man lie screaming. 

Adonis felt himself quite suddenly thrown onto the ground, tied up, unsure of where he was. All he knew was he was trapped, he was bound, and he had to escape, he had to—

An urgent voice cut through the darkness. “Adonis, are you awake? Calm down. You are trapped by sheets, not ropes.” 

_Was he awake?_ It still felt like he was in a nightmare. But the voice was a familiar one, so he stopped trying to escape. Soon Adonis felt a hand pulling at the blanket in order to free him, clumsily brushing his face by mistake in the dark. As soon as he felt he was no longer entangled, he let his body relax on the floor.

“Are you alright?” Tsukasa asked, offering the other a hand. 

Adonis just lied there, unwilling to move after what he had just seen. “No.” 

“Did you hit your head?” Tsukasa asked next, “We have ice packs.” 

“No, no...” Adonis huffed, resigning to take the other’s hand and be assisted up. 

Tsukasa pouted, turning the lamp on as soon as the other was standing. “You say you are not alright, but refuse to say what is wrong. I hope you are aware this is infuriating!” He crossed his arms. Adonis looked away. 

“Don’t be so self-centered so as to burden yourself with things alone. We are both students; that is to say, we should help each other with problems of all kinds!” He said, seriously.

 _“Enough,”_ Adonis said wearily, feeling rather irritated. “I received terrible news, alright?” His voice had risen higher than he had wanted. “It’s far more important than being sick or being students, so just be quiet...!” 

Terrible news? _“Calm down,”_ Tsukasa shot back, not as loud, but just as firm. “It is late, we can’t be so loud, so calm down, yes?” If he just settled down, they could talk about this—

“I can’t calm down!” Adonis replied, taking in a breath through his nose. He bit his lip, gripping at the loose fabric of his night blouse. In an unsteady voice, he said, “My father could be dead for all I know. I can’t do that, _Suou.”_

Tsukasa’s eyes widened. _Just what had happened yesterday?_ “What do you mean?” He asked.

Adonis stiffened. A moment passed, and he decidedly sat down on the chair of the desk between their beds. He looked sadly at the tabletop, decidedly giving up the English for a language he felt more comfortable with. «My hometown…» He hesitated a moment. «It was bombed last night. I don’t know if my father is okay or not. The cell towers were apparently destroyed...» His voice was quiet, unlike himself. He felt incredibly cold. 

His roommate was silent. Oh. This was nothing at all like what he’d thought it could be. «That’s terrible,» he said after some time, but all he heard for a reply was a choked noise. Adonis finally broke down from the news, putting his head down in his arms, his hands gripping each side like they were lifelines. He cried quietly, soundless in all but his unsteady breathing. Tsukasa, unsure of what to do, got up and moved to bring him some chocolate. It always helped when he was upset... 

«M-my ocarina,» he suddenly said in a voice full of worry, looking up. «Where did I leave it...?»

While this seemed unrelated, what with the situation being what it was, Tsukasa thought it important enough. «You didn’t take it with you to class because it was Thursday.» He explained. Those days, Adonis had too many books to carry it with him. But he knew where it was. 

Finding the candy box on the other side of the room, he took out of it an off-white instrument and a bar of chocolate. He returned with it and set it down on the desk. Adonis took it carefully, letting his fingers caress the sides in a comforting way. 

Tsukasa opened the bar of chocolate and broke off some pieces. Ripping the tin foil from the bottom of the wrapper out, he set half of it down on the table along with the pieces. «Here,» he said, «Don’t chew, just let it melt. It’s nice.» 

Adonis didn’t want to eat anything, but at the same time, he didn’t want to feel like this. It...hurt too much. Hesitantly, he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. Slowly, it melted from the heat of his tongue, and the flavour filled every corner. He closed his eyes. It _was_ a little comforting. Just a little bit... 

Tsukasa kept quiet, unsure of what else he should do as the other calmed down. It seemed at least that the combination was somewhat helpful, instrument and chocolate. Several minutes passed. Just when he thought he might go back to bed himself, Adonis spoke again. 

«My father gave me this ocarina.» He said. 

That explained something. «He must be very important to you.» Tsukasa replied. 

«Yes.» Taking a deep breath, he rose from the desk, his ocarina in hand. He picked up the blankets off the floor and climbed back into bed, covering himself with them. While a good part of him didn’t want to sleep again, he was tired. Crying did that to you.

Tsukasa watched him for a bit before turning off the lamp and getting back into bed himself. «Will you be alright?» He asked.

Adonis answered, albeit stiffly. «Maybe. Thank you for the chocolate.» 

«Anytime.»

✧✧✧

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry if I gave you painful feels. I feel the same, I promise. Feel free to scream at me in the comments, haha  
> Stay tuned for possible more adokasa friendship + getting through this together!!!


End file.
